Many different products are stored in containers such as bottles, cans, or the like having a closure that can be screwed and/or snapped onto the container and closes the opening in the container. In order to provide assurance to the consumer that the contents of the container have not been tampered with between production and receipt by the consumer or that the contents are fresh, or the like, the container opening is provided with a seal. Examples of seals include, but are not limited to, laminate or foil seals made from one or more of, for example, metals, polymers and cellulosic materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,604 relates to improving a closure system for containers in which a cap member sealed at its base to an annular flange about the neck of the container is removable by a cutting ring. The cap includes an upwardly projecting brim at the base separated from the sidewall of the cap to reportedly provide an annular groove. The groove has at least one tapered recess. The cutting ring, which can be positioned around the sidewall of the cap, has at least one depending tab with an inwardly directed sharpened projection. The tab rests in the recess of the groove. Upon rotation of the cutting ring, the tab is forced inwardly reportedly causing the sharpened projection to sever the sidewall of the closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,013 relates to a closing and opening device for a bottle with an opening sealed by a membrane comprising a cap adapted to engage the opening of the bottle for closing the same, a cutting device for cutting the membrane of the bottle connected to the cap, and a device to reportedly allow rotation of the cap less than 360° relative to the opening of the bottle while the cutting device is in engagement with the membrane, so that the membrane is cut less than 360 degrees to prevent the membrane being cut from detaching from the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,098 relates to a fastening structure of a tube and cap assembly. The structure includes an unthreaded part formed in the threaded portion of cap or of a mouth member of a tube. The unthreaded part reportedly acts as a stopper to keep the cap being secured to the mouth member of the tube, but if the cap is forcibly screwed further, the unthreaded part is rolled and deformed by the other threaded portion which does not include the unthreaded part to form threads on the unthreaded part. Due to this forcible action, a conical cutting edge, if it is provided on the inner bottom surface of cap, is pressed against the sealed mouth of tube to reportedly break the sealed mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,822 relates to a bottle neck and cap combination, wherein threads formed on its outer side and there being structure at the uppermost end of the neck to close same, the cap having a first skirt and threading formed on the skirt at the inner side thereof to mesh with the neck threads when the cap is rotatably attached to the neck. In this environment, there is provided: (a) first lug structure including a first lug on the neck and protruding sidewardly outwardly thereof, (b) a second lug on the cap skirt and protruding sidewardly inwardly thereof to engage and ride over the first lug during rotatable attachment of the cap to the neck, and (c) a brake surface formed on the cap generally opposite the second lug and presented inwardly to reportedly engage the neck and frictionally resist cap rotation in either direction after the second lug rides over the first lug in a cap tightening direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,582 relates to a bottle cap reportedly having a cutting means located inside the cap for selectively opening a sealed bottle. The cap reportedly can be rotated in either direction over the seal to cause the seal to be punctured and to cause a “C”-shaped cut in the seal. In the preferred embodiment, the center of the “C”-shaped cut portion of the seal is reportedly dragged away from the center of the mouth of the bottle, and a portion of the liner remains uncut as the cap is rotated to prevent the liner from dropping down into the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,937 relates to a cap for use on a container having a neck defining an opening sealed by a protective foil that has to be removed when the container is used for the very first time. The cap comprises a top sized to close the opening and a peripheral skirt that projects from the top and is detachably connectable to the wall of the neck. The cap also comprises at least one and preferably two open slots made in the skirt, the slots extending at an angle from the bottom edge of the slot and being wide engage to receive the wall of the neck. The slots are made in the skirt to define spikes that preferably are oppositely oriented for use by right-handed or left-handed persons to reportedly perforate and remove the protective foil sealing the neck of the container when the latter has to be opened for the very first time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,326 relates to a closure device for a container having an opening sealed with a membrane and comprising a cap adapted to engage the opening of the container for closing same and comprising a first cylindrical wall connected to one side of a circular base, and a reportedly membrane-penetrating element comprising a second cylindrical wall connected to the reverse side of the circular base and, within the second cylindrical wall, means for penetrating a membrane when the element is pressed into contact with the opening of a container sealed with the membrane, the means comprising a plurality of arciform cutters that are connected to the base and are coaxial with and in close proximity to the inner surface of the second cylindrical wall, the plurality of arciform cutters together comprising a total of at least 300°.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,505 relates to a cap for pill bottles and like medicinal containers normally having cotton wadding therein between the pills or capsules and the open mouth of the bottle, wherein the cap is reportedly provided with an external hook member which is positionable to be inserted into the bottle to easily remove the cotton without flexing or forcing the fingers into the small mouth bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,506 relates to a closure for sealing a container having an opening covered by a seal. The closure includes a peripheral wall and a nub extending upwardly from the top of the cap. The nub is radiused and includes a rounded peripheral edge. The nub also includes a planar outer surface facing the peripheral wall. The size, location and geometric shape of the nub are reportedly selected so that when the closure is inverted, placed over the opening, and rotated 360 degrees or more, the nub will reportedly tear the seal only partially away from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,234 is related to a cap member having an annular wall and a top wall disposed within and connected to the annular wall. An arcuate pierce-plow member is disposed on an upper surface of the top wall at a position spaced from the annular wall. The pierce-plow member includes a first plow base member having a ramp portion and a substantially flat portion. The pierce-plow member further includes a piercing member disposed adjacent to the substantially flat portion of the plow base member. The piercing member includes a first portion disposed adjacent to the first plow base member and a second portion disposed at a position spaced from the first plow base member. A thickness of the second portion of the piercing member is greater than a thickness of the first portion of the piercing member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,198 relates to a cut and pierce closure molded from a rigid plastic material for a container whose open mouth is normally sealed by a thin membrane applied to a rim of the container. The closure is removably applied to the container in a closing orientation by inter-engaging helical threads on the exterior of a neck of the container and an annular skirt of the closure. To dispense the contents of the container, the closure is removed and reapplied in an inverted orientation, a flange extension of the closure skirt surrounding the rim of the container and serving to center the closure in its inverted orientation on the container. A top panel of the closure is provided with a double-ended arcuate shoulder that reportedly engages the membrane when the closure is in its inverted orientation on the container to maintain tension in the portion of the membrane in engagement with the shoulder. The arcuate shoulder also serves, in combination with the flange extension, to trap the rim of the container therebetween. A sharp cutting element projects axially from the shoulder at a location between its ends and functions to pierce the membrane when the closure is reapplied, in its inverted orientation, to the container. When the closure is rotated on the container in the inverted orientation, the cutting element will cut the membrane along an arc of less than 360°, even if the closure is rotated 360° or more, to thereby permit dispensing of the contents of the container after removal of the closure from the container while ensuring that the severed membrane remains affixed to the rim of the container without dropping into the contents of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,391 relates to a novel container cap and containment system which includes a cap with an upper and a lower portion, reportedly being removable one from the other. The upper portion has an upper wall that is continuous with an outer rim. The outer rim is constructed such that it fits over the orifice of a container. A blade is included inside of the peripheral edge of the outer rim and preferably extends from the upper wall. The blade, in one embodiment, is preferably oriented in a “C” shape, whereby the cap can be removed from the container and the upper portion oriented over the orifice and depressed therein, thus reportedly cutting the safety seal while allowing a small portion to remain, thereby preventing the cut seal from falling into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,845 relates to a cut and pierce closure molded from a rigid plastic material for a container whose open mouth is normally sealed by a thin membrane applied to a rim of the container. The closure is removably applied to the container in a closing orientation by inter-engaging helical threads on the exterior of a neck of the container and an annular skirt of the closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,043 relates to a disposable lid for beverage containers which includes a mechanism reportedly enabling a user to hang the lid on the rim of the container, rather than placing the lid on a counter or table top, to avoid actual or perceived unsanitary conditions and to minimize risk of transmitting infectious diseases to the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,921 relates to a closure for a container having an opening which includes a base cap and an overcap that form a sealed chamber adjacent the opening that is isolated from the contents of the container. The base cap includes an outer skirt having container-engaging structure, a cylindrical well, a frangible membrane connected to the well along an inclined line of weakness and by a hinge member. The hinge member includes a pocket extending downward adjacent lower and upper terminuses of the line of weakness. The overcap includes a body having a gripping structure, an inner skirt received within and rotatably connected to the well, and a cutting member depending from a lower end of the inner skirt received within the pocket such that the cutting member extends below the upper terminus. The cutting member reportedly severs the line of weakness upon substantial rotation of the overcap with respect to the base cap.
In view of the above, there is still a need for a closure for a container incorporated with a feature that allows a consumer to penetrate or perforate, and subsequently remove a seal in an aperture of the container prior to first use of the contents within the container, wherein the closure is able to be produced with a relatively small cost increase or no increase when compared to a corresponding closure not having the seal opening feature.